O2 Recycle missing iphone

Primo

About 4 weeks ago I was made an offer by O2 to upgrade my iphone from 3GS to iphone 4.
If I traded in my iphone with O2 Recycle, the money I gotback (about£250) would pay for the new phone. If I went for the deal I would have a new iphone on the same call plan and be up about £10 on the deal.
I was told that I'd be sent an envelope, all I had to do was put my phone in it, take it to the Post Office and get a proof of posting, easy!
Then I'd receive my cheque in the mail.
Wow what an offer! Sign me up.
I got my new iphone - brilliant!
I got in touch with iphone recycle, they sent me an envelope, I put my old phone in it and went to the Post Office and got a proof of posting.
I waited 2 weeks and called O2 recycle a few times and left my number for them to call me back.
No returned call.
I tried again a day or two later.
They had not received my phone but there was a backlog of phones and they would e-mail me back over the weekend when my phone turned up.
'oh' and had I sent it recorded delivery?
What? erm no, I was told to ask for proof of posting.
'No, you should have asked for recorded delivery, it does say that, it's the 3rd option on the list of posting options'
'No', said I as I had been advised to only get proof of posting.
'Oh you might only get £40 back for that then.'
A week passed....
I called again and left my number.
I received a call.
My phone had not arrived and as I had not sent it by recorded delivery I was out of luck.
Would I like to be put through to Customer Services and get them to block the phone?
They can block it but they can't trace it and despite my pointing out that I had kept my end of the bargain to the instructions I was given, I have basically lost £250.
I only took the phone on the strength of this offer.
O2 claim they do not have any responsibility.
The proof of posting has no reference number on it, so I may as well have thrown my phone down a drain.
I'm not going to let this go. I did everything I was told to do to the letter, I think O2 should have a system in place to cover the poor saps that jump at tempting offers they way I did.
I'm going to the Post Office tomorrow.
Wish me luck!
:mad:

bingy_burge

Are you for real? DO you send £250 cash in little white envelopes to your loved ones for xmas?

I can't believe anyone who has lived in this country all there life thinks popping an iphone in standard post is a abright idea.

I am surprised that you don't have any understanding of the royalmail are you not originally from the uk?

I am afraid that anything worth more than 50 quid should be insured when posting most people I know seem to understand this. You should of sent its special delivery which would of cost around 5.50 and it would of been insured for £250.

I have seen the bumf that o2 send and if you bother to read it goes through the posting options.

Report it to the royalmail but its a lesson learned and £250 gone.

jb66

I would have spent that extra to go with special delivery, its too valuable

DarkConvict

Anything over £50 is not covered. You must send it by record delivery to prove it arrived. Even then it is not covered, for £250 it must go by special delivery.

If lost in the post you are covered by royal mail.
If arrived at 02 then lost, you are covered by 02.

Obviously, you need "atleast" recorded to prove it has arrived. But obviously if it never arrived and was only sent recorded you are only covered to a certain point.

You made a serious mistake, and 02 is not to blame. 02 are only liable once they receive the phone, as the shipper you are liable until it has arrived. I agree with above comments, everyone i know is already aware of this!
I can only assume you did not listen to "all" of the instructions. It probably followed on saying if you phone is worth more than £xxx then it must be sent by recorded/special delivery.

Unless 02 find it, you have lost £250!

bobster999

you could've just done it in store

NitroGen

Used O2 Recycle recently and it is plastered all over the letter/checklist that they "strongly recommend" using a postal tracking service.

You have obviously never watched any of the undercover programmes where mail just disappears.

zzzLazyDaisy

I have some sympathy for OP - I had an I-phone from O2 but due to poor 3G coverage I returned it. They sent me a pre-addressed postage paid envelope and told me to return the phone in that and obtain a proof of posting.

There was no way that I was going to send an i-phone through normal mail as I knew that the insurance wouldn't cover the cost of the phone. So I asked about special delivery - and was told that if I sent the item special delivery I would have to pay the postage plus the SD charge as normal. Which I did.

But the point is, O2 actually sent me this envelope and told me to put the phone in, take it to the post office and get a proof of postage. What is the point in sending a postage paid envelope, if in fact the only safe way to return the phone is SD.

It is highly misleading - at no point was I told to send it back SD (or even recorded). I wasn't caught out, but I can see how some people might be. If they are going to tell people that they must send it back in the envelope specially sent out for that purpose, they should send a pre-paid SD envelope.

Exhortation

In a country where birthday / Christmas cards often don't arrive at their destination because the thieving b******s that work for the Royal Mail have ripped them open looking for money, do you really think it was wise not to send the phone by Special Delivery?

Jimx26

**Edit just read this has been posted above, Ireally should read the threads before posting lol**

It does say on the blurb they send you and also on the website to send special delivery "Put it in an envelope with your order summary - post it for free. For high value items we recommend sending by registered post." here - www.o2recycle.co.uk/howitworks.asp.